topic Re: Copper Network Decommissioning in Home phone

Copper Network Decommissioning

LinLee — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 04:03:58 GMT

We have an OLD landline, with an OLD rotary dial phone (we've had for 45 years), that hangs on the wall. Also, we are on a party line (although I don't think we have anyone else on the line at this time.) We DO NOT HAVE INTERNET, and therefore do not own a modem. Does Bell provide the modem necessary for this change? Will we be left with a hole in the wall where our current phone hangs? Will our current phone still work with this change? We have tried to have these questions answered, but no one has been able to adequately respond.

Please note: This post is being logged by my sister as we do not have internet access.

Thank you.

Re: Copper Network Decommissioning

WelshTerrier — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 12:07:12 GMT

Yes and no. Fibre need to be installed in your area before your copper service will be disconnected.

I presume you live in a remote area with 4-party line service.

Old technology does not work all that well with new technology. In most cases, it causes more grief than what it is worth. Can you install internet on fibre with a party line using rotary telephones? My first response is no...... but who knows what future changes in technology will allow you to do.

When Bell converts your service to fibre, a modem is required to connect the Home phone service. It is also used for Fibe Internet & Fibe TV. Is there a modem charge? Bell normally will install this modem at the time of conversion & it is only installed when you choose Bell as your service provider.

I can not speak with respect to installation costs as your question relates to a future date. In most cases, charges are waived if you stay with Bell & services are also offered at a promotional rate.

Bell has not maintained home telephone wiring and equipment for a number of years. If you choose to remove your old phone for whatever reason, the cost to repair the hole is your responsibility. This can be easily repaired by purchasing a cover plate at your local hardware or patching with a wall compound.

No dial tone on Home phone

tickecustomer — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 12:21:44 GMT

I have reported the lack of dial tone on my landline to five different Bell employees. Each has transferred me to a different employee, told me that I have the wrong person to talk to, asked me all kinds of questions that are irrelevant to repairing the line, contradicted themselves, blackmailed me concerning a conversion to fiber, but none has initiated a repair of my phone line.

I've used chat and, when told chat can't address the problem (after they've spent nearly an hour talking about it and trying to upsell me to other services), I've talked to the loyalty people. lol!

Anyone have any idea of what to do to get my line back in service?

Re: repair

WelshTerrier — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 04:48:09 GMT

Good Day & Welcome to the Bell, Community Forum.

To report a service issue, call 6-1-1 from any Bell landline phone or #6-1-1 from any Bell mobile phone. The customer service representative should provide you an approximate repair date & follow-up reference number. If she does not provide you with this information, then request to speak to her manager at this time.

Take care.

Re: repair

tickecustomer — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 05:22:11 GMT

Thank you for your reply! Bell now tells me that they are disconnecting customers who have copper, not repairing their lines, and not explaining how the jump to fibre would take place. Bell repair will not repair the copper in our building. This in the middle of a high stress project with a looming deadline.

I would have thought that things would go as you say, but they haven't. Instead, they have sent me around and around in circles, talking and chatting to people who can't speak English, contradict themselves, etc etc.

Copper Network Decommissioning

Billy68 — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:17:25 GMT

Hello,

Bell has informed of the discontinuation of Bell home phone copper line service in the area. We have no other services with Bell and are not interested in going with Bell Fibe home phone.

For those who no longer need a home phone and simply wish to cancel the service, does Bell send a technician to disconnect Bell connections in the demarcation box outside of the house, to stop all signal and electric current to the house phone jacks?

This is important to know as Bell connections in the outside demarcation box also need to be disconnected should the client wish to go with another VOIP provider, as those providers simply send a VOIP box for self-installation that uses internet and can only be connected to Bell lines inside the house that have no current, to avoid short circuits, to have the other phone jacks work. Those providers do not have and do not send technicians, it is a customer self-install process.

Thank you.

Re: Copper Network Decommissioning

dks — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:17:33 GMT

The usual practice when copper is deprecated is that the system is disabled at the central office or disconnected at the demarcation point at the residence. Disconnection can be done by the customer. It is a matter of opening the demarcation box and cutting phone wires or cutting the phone wires from the demarcation leading to the inside. I am not aware that Bell sends a technician to do that. Be aware that an internet connection with a provider is required for any VOIP setup. The VOIP box is then plugged into the internet hub or modem.

Re: Copper Network Decommissioning

Billy68 — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:18:19 GMT

Hi @dks thank you for your answer.

In that case I hope it will be possible for Bell to disconnect the home phone service at the central office, as the demarcation box has about 12 screws inside with various wires of white, blue, red, white, green and black connected all over the place (there have been more that 2 phone lines in the house in the past), I would not know where to start as this is not my field.

Re: Copper Network Decommissioning

WelshTerrier — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:18:45 GMT

Good Day.

Fibre needs to be installed in your area before your copper service will be disconnected.

When Bell converts your service to fibre, a modem is required to connect the home phone service. Bell normally will install this modem at the time of conversion & it is only installed when you choose Bell as your service provider.

The Demarcation Point identifies where the Bell wiring/cable network ends and where your own wiring begins.

For example only, if you own a home, the Demarcation Point can be identified by either a small plastic box mounted on the outside of your premise or a connection block in your basement or with other utility connections. Any inside wiring connected to this box becomes your property and responsibility.

The existing copper wiring to your home may be abandoned, left in place or removed. External aerial Bell cables, cross-boxes, wiring interfaces, etc. will be eventually disconnected and removed at a later date.

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact Bell Customer Service at: 1 866 310-BELL (2355) or dial #611 from any Bell mobile device.

Take care.

Re: Copper Network Decommissioning

Billy68 — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:19:29 GMT

@WelshTerrier

Thank you for your answer.

As I no longer wish to have a home phone line with Bell, and as the demarcation box outside the house is Bell's responsibility (not the owners), how does Bell go about deactivating my home phone line completely when I call to cancel my line (I do not want any current or signal coming into my house phone jacks from Bell's line)? Thank you.

Re: Copper Network Decommissioning

dks — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:19:54 GMT

Thank you for your question. As I said below, the demarcation box is Bell's property, but any copper beyond the demarcation box is the customer's responsibility. The easiest way to isolate your inside copper wire from Bell's outside line is to take a pair of diagonal side cutting pliers and clip the wire coming out of the the demarcation box that runs to the entry through the foundation or siding of your home. Be careful not to clip any nearby fibre optic cables or other subscriber cables or lines if you live in a multi-unit dwelling. There is no line voltage in any case, unless the line is ringing, so there is no risk to you. In time Bell will remove the line card at their Central Office and your copper line will no longer function. The demarcation box, copper line and related infrastructure is left as is or removed. A VOIP phone modem can be plugged into a nearby phone jack to provide extension line phone service to the inside copper lines.

Re: Copper Network Decommissioning

Billy68 — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:20:41 GMT

Thank you for the additional details.

In my case, there are 4 wrapped black wires coming from the box to the foundation entry. Would you suggest I cut all 4 of them (the wires would no longer be protected from the rain)? I presume that would also eliminate the voltage being sent to the phone jacks?

Re: Copper Network Decommissioning

dks — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:21:05 GMT

Yes. You could bend the wires down and wrap the exposed tips with electrical tape. There is minimal voltage in the line (48 volts DC) in any case.

Re: Copper Network Decommissioning

Jamesh — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:44:53 GMT

We recently received an email stating that Bell will discontinue the use of copper lines for home phone applications, and that the service would be replaced with either a fiber optic or a cellular link.

Our home is in a low-density rural area and our services, phone, internet and security system use the copper telephone wire which runs underground down a 1km gravel road and crosses a ditch to reach our house.

In the past few years, I have contacted Bell several times to see whether they intended to run a fiber link to our area so that I could improve the internet service, currently limited to 5MHZ due to the distance to the server. I was informed that there were no plans to provide fiber in our area either now or in the future. I also asked whether internet using the cellular network would be a possible solution only to be informed that the nearest tower was over-subscribed. Incidentally our Bell cellular phones work intermittently due to a very weak signal.

The Bell email stated that current services would be maintained when copper lines are decommissioned – difficult to understand given the information provided by Bell.

As suggested by the email I contacted customer support – they were unable to answer any of my questions related to the phase-out of copper lines. I find it hard to believe that Bell does not have a plan or strategy to provide services to customers in my situation.

How to I retain my Bell services

Re: Copper Network Decommissioning

dks — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 21:03:59 GMT

Thanks for your questions. I understand your concern. As this is a peer to peer forum, we have no access to any information from Bell on decommissioning of services. If there is an address or number to call in the e-mail, you might contact Bell that way for clarification of their future plans.

Re: Copper Network Decommissioning

WelshTerrier — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 12:18:05 GMT

Good Day.

The email you received is simply an advanced notification for work that is going to be performed in your locality. Prior to any changes or decommissioning of copper & conversion to fibre or a cellular link, Bell will be in contact with you.

Fibre needs to be installed in your area before your copper service will be disconnected.

When Bell converts your service to fibre, a modem is required to connect the Home phone service. It is also used for Fibe Internet & Fibe TV. Bell normally will install this modem at the time of conversion & it is only installed when you choose Bell as your service provider.

A Demarcation Point will be placed either inside or outside of your dwelling identifying where the Bell wiring/cable network ends and where your own wiring begins.

Take care.